What’s Cookin’ in 2011?

New Year’s Resolutions. Do the mere words make you cringe? This New Year’s Eve, those three words are making my mouth water!
For some time now conversations about our eating habits have floated around the EE. Ryan and Rylee are blessedly flexible when it comes to food. I cook fearlessly for the most part, so they never know what will be on the table! Now is as good a time as any to make some changes for the better. Shamelessly using this blog to hold ourselves accountable also seems like a good idea!
I thought to begin this journey by noting a few items we really need to work on and adding to it as we go along:
Less Reliance on Salt – I need to revamp recipes to utilize flavor rich base ingredients and condiments. Fresh herbs at the end of cooking time give a strong burst of flavor. A great example is cilantro, which I dearly love! Spice mixtures are invaluable and underused in my opinion. Curry powder & Creole seasoning are your friend so long as you watch for sodium content.
Raw & Fresh – We need a lot more raw foods in our diet. Rylee is famous for turning down cookies for either carrot sticks or grapes! That is the example we need to follow. Fresh fruits & veggies may mean going to the store once every week, but that seems a small price to pay. Everyone at the EE enjoys a good salad, perhaps starting out with a goal of having Salad Night once a week is reasonable.
Moderately Meatless – As proud supporters of People for the Eating of Tasty Animals, it is unlikely that the day will come when the EE kitchen is entirely meat free. At least, not by choice; sometimes it happens just because a few too many days have elapsed between shopping trips! However, our diets have become overwhelmed with too much animal protein and cutting back on portions is a widely held advisement. Ideally, my goal would be to have 2 vegetarian or vegan meals per week for each mealtime (i.e., 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, 2 suppers).
So, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? More selfishly, do you have suggestions for the denizens of the EE as we embark on a healthier lifestyle? Leave a comment so we can all grow together!
Happy New Year 2011!

Rylee's January Hockey Schedule

Practices

Amusing (We would break a hip trying that…)
&
Informative (These kids are making us look old…)

• Monday, 3rd at 6:30 PM
• Saturday, 8th at 8:00 AM
• Monday, 17th at 5:30 PM
• Monday, 24th at 5:30 PM
• Monday, 31st at 6:30 PM

All Mite Practices

Amoeba-esque or whatever one calls 60+ kids on 1 ice rink.

Great fun if you can keep up with which one is yours!

• Tuesday, 18th at 5:30 PM

Games

Two games & a mini practice session.

Sometimes the best part is laughing at the (blessedly few) obnoxious parents.

Helpful advice such as "Skate! Skate! SKATE!"

will be mocked with every ounce of our being.

What else are the players going to do? Swim? It is ice hockey, you morons.*

• Monday, 10th at 5:30 PM
• Saturday, 22nd at 7:00 AM
• Saturday, 29th at 7:00 AM

*The above statement is sarcasm, so no one needs to

get their cowbells in a twist. However, given the fact

that it is true, we will continue with our aforementioned

course of action. ;-)

E-mail us for directions to the rink! Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in supporting Rylee and the Green Dragon Mites!

Just a typical Thursday night... or not!

Tonight will be epic. My little Rylee is going to his first midnight movie opening: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1. There will be costumes. There will be popcorn. There will be a very sad moment when his favorite character dies (Hedwig the owl; yes, I've already told him; no, it wasn't pretty). There will be laughter, gasps and tears. There will be yet another fun memory for Ryan & I to tuck away in our hearts.

On a side note, for those of you who know my penchant for numerical serendipity, I offer this little tidbit:

Rylee, who is 7 years old, will view the first movie of Year 7 at 12:07 in theater number 7.

Ryan called yesterday, out of the blue, asking me to locate "the Year 6 movie." After a pause where I finally caught up to the conversation, I confirmed he meant the HP movie, THBP. He said, "Yeah, OK, the last one. I need to get caught up before we go to the theater." Then he watches it, asks questions (actually listening to the long, drawn out answers, bless him) and further more allows me to read him The Tale of The Three Brothers.

That is dedication to one's family.

The comic relief was supplied by our puppy, who finally having learned his name, was flustered by these strange bipeds calling out to him from the box on the living room wall. ;-)

So, while y'all sane people are snug in your beds, we will venture forth in the blustery cold to watch the cinematic culmination of a decades worth of fantasy and dreams. For once in a very rare while, our quirky little family will fit right in with the humanity around us. Sweet dreams everyone!

Harvest Cake

Now, don't faint, but this recipe contains cake mix. Why? Because there was a box of it hanging out in the pantry (leftover from a friend's cake request) and I didn't know what else to do with it. Certainly not bake straight up & eat. Ugh. I'm a cake snob, so don't be offended if you love cake mixes. I'm just being honest about things here at the EE, where plain cake doth not a dessert make.

Harvest Cake

Yellow cake mix
eggs, oil & water according to cake mix instructions
1/2 teaspoon vanilla butternut flavoring OR 2 drops LorAnn oil in vanilla butternut
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 pitted dates
4 orange essence prunes
1 Tablespoon dried pineapple
1 Tablespoon dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (ignore cake mix instructions).

Pour cake mix in mixing bowl. To this add:
Almonds, crumbled into pieces
Fruit, finely chopped
Brown sugar
Flavoring

Stir around to distribute ingredients.
Add eggs, oil, & water according to the cake mix instructions.
Stir everything together & pour into a greased cake pan.

Baking time is usually a few minutes longer than the time suggested on the package because the cake is being baked at a lower temperature. Do the toothpick test at the minimum time & continue baking accordingly.

If you want, a glaze made with confectioner sugar, milk, and flavoring can be poured over the top while the cake is still warm.
Another option is powdered sugar sprinkled on the top of the cake once it has cooled.
This cake is very moist & sweet, so it tastes good without anything additional!

Cheatin' Chicken & Rice

Sometimes we all need something fast & frugal. No, not that. Or that. I'm talking about a recipe...

Two of the handy little servants taking up space in the Emporium kitchen are a crock pot and a rice cooker. Things can be thrown in and taste great without my further input. Spectacular is the word that comes to mind in such an instance. Today, we're going to utilize the rice cooker.

There is nothing better than good, old fashioned, made from scratch, comfort food when the weather gets nippy. Unless it's a fast & frugal version of said comfort food. Then, my friends, we have the best of both worlds. You know the two worlds I'm referring to: 1) the Norman  Rockwell version where Martha of Biblical fame meets Martha Stewart and together they plan the dinner to end all dinners, otherwise known as Dream World and 2) the 5 a.m. dash to hockey followed by a school field trip, benevolence, classwork, housework, laundry, and a dozen or two more things before 11 p.m., otherwise known as Reality. No, I'm not bitter about the unrealistic societal expectations of the modern woman*. Why do you ask?

*She can go take a flying leap. I feel better just having said that...

Now, where was I? Oh, yes the recipe:

Cheatin' Chicken & Rice

In a rice cooker combine:
2 Cups white rice
1/2 stick salted butter
1 Tablespoon dried chives
1 Pinch curry powder
1 Pinch garlic powder
12.5 oz can white meat chicken chunks, smooshed* with a fork to break up lumps, liquid drained & reserved
                    *smooshed is a technical term, for those of you prepared to ask

For the liquid quantity you should consult the directions of your rice cooker. For ours, 2 cups of white rice requires 2 1/2 cups liquid. In a large measuring cup pour the chicken juice (a.k.a. liquid drained & reserved from canned chicken) and top it off with water to attain the proper amount of liquid. Chicken juice = Flavor

Now, turn on that rice cooker and walk away. When it is ready, toss together a baby spinach & apple salad and slice up a baguette. Open up the rice cooker and gently fluff the Cheatin' Chicken & Rice. Give it a taste, then salt & pepper to suit you family's palette. Yum & done!

Poor, neglected little blog...

We shall return shortly. Life at the Enchanted Emporium (the last bastion of insane hilarity) has gotten in the way of our commitment to blog. In other words, I've neglected my desire to write on a consistent basis. C'est la vie.

It's about that time...

Riding the school bus? Don't have to worry about that one. Melting under the intense heat of summer? The A/C rescues us from that one. Enjoying an upcoming holiday? Yes! Well, sort of...

You see, Labor Day is only a few weeks away and with it, Ryan's birthday. Yay! Happy, happy for Ryan! More to my point, is the fact that in our home, said birthday signals an end to my 10 month sabbatical from Halloween decorations and costumes! As if that weren't enough, this year we get to dress up a dog. I'm thinking Hedwig can either be a Dread Pirate or a Dementor; either option should be well suited to his personality. Hehehe!

I think he is already rockin' the skull & crossbones queue quite well in anticipation. Don't you think?

Hedwig, the Demented Puppy

A few weeks ago, a furry little ball of love came into our lives. He has 4 legs, off-white fur, liquid brown eyes and an AKC pedigree. So, of course, he had to be named Hedwig. What? You don't see the connection between our male Maltese puppy and a female snowy owl?

Rylee is currently unconvinced that Hedwig will grow up to look anything like the pictures he has seen of adult Maltese. According to him the photographed Maltese must all be girls (fancy little barrettes holding up the dog's topknots). Ryan had to be convinced the dog could walk on its own. I'm just grateful he either sleeps through the night or gets up only once to potty. Regardless, he is dreadfully spoiled. Pet stores are as bad as baby stores. Too much stuff you want them to need. Thank goodness for the clearance aisles and coupons!

I'm also beginning to appreciate all the time my Mother spent caring for my hair as a little girl. At least I didn't use sharp little teeth to express my displeasure when she hit a snarl. The same can't be said for our darling little Hedwig. As soon as Uncle Veterinarian gives the next round of shots, somebody with 4 legs and a tail is going to the groomers for some quality time with a de-matting brush.

On the advice of Uncle Veterinarian, we are crate training Hedwig. It has been extremely beneficial to us and the dog! So far, he has been using an appropriate sized travel crate. However, sometime this week his Taj MahCrate will arrive from our beloved amazon.com and be assembled forthwith in one corner of the living room. So far, this mutt's life is golden...

Fiesta Relish

Recently in preparation for our church's Family Bible Week I prepared some meal for the people getting the learning centers and decorations set up. One of the meals I planned was Fiesta chicken salad. In my mind this was a vague recipe containing lettuce, shredded taco chicken, tortilla chips and some type of relish. Ultra specific, I know. So, the day of the dinner rolls around. While preparing to leave on the shopping trip for ingredients, I decided it might behoove me to actually come up with a recipe for the all important relish...

The original was in quantities of #10 cans and such, so I've altered it to suit a more reasonable amount for the average family. Beware though, it is a bit addictive and can be messed with to suit individual tastes!

Fiesta Relish

1 jar Picante sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 can seasoned black beans, drained
1 small jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained & diced
1 small Vidalia onion, finely diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems & leaves chopped
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and allow to chill in a covered bowl for 4 hours. Overnight is even better. After sitting the flavor will have melded nicely. The salt & pepper may need to be adjusted as well.

Fiesta Relish can be served over a green salad allowing the liquid portion to serve as the dressing. Additional protein in the form of chicken or beef is optional since the black beans are included in the relish. It is also a good pairing for grilled or baked fish and chicken. Serve it salsa style with some tortilla chips.

If you happen to have any roasted garlic cloves lying about, I imagine squeezing them in the relish would have divine results!

Seafood Dip

When the Emporium family gets munchy and in need of comfort food, we tend to like seafood. For me this is perfectly natural since I grew up loving anything that swimmed. My Daddy had the viewpoint that if God saw fit to cover 2/3 of the Earth with water, He obviously intended for us to enjoy the bounties of the deep! And we did. Oh, how we did. Raw, boiled, fried, steamed, grilled. You name it, we tried it at least twice (it may not have been cooked right the first time, so always give it another go!).

For my beloved, Ryan, this was a bit of a culture shock, coming from a land locked state where seafood was more of an occasional treat. Thankfully he was game for most anything although raw oysters have never been his favorite and I may have grossed him out early on in our courtship. But our love was complete when he sat at a table diligently retrieving crawfish tails for me from their tricky little carcasses while I was about 11 months pregnant. That's love, people!

Since he received so much influence in utero I suppose it should come as no surprise that Rylee desperately loves seafood. Shrimp and fresh salmon are his favorites. This child begs for sushi (salmon or tuna nigiri, just sushi rice & raw fish, no sauce, very no frills, expensive taste). My Daddy's fried shrimp were an early favorite when table foods were introduced. To this day I can lead him around with those things like a carrot on a string. And Mommy couldn't be happier.

The seafood dip I wish to share today is one I have been making since college. It is a variation on a recipe my Daddy and I got from a grocery store seafood counter when I was a young girl. We always served that one hot. Unfortunately the actual recipe was lost at some point but by that point we had tweaked it beyond recognition anyway, so I just wrote down our version.

Seafood Dip

1 1/2 # shrimp, cooked in boiling water with salt & Old Bay seasoning

12 oz crab meat, all white, flaked, shell-free in a can, no Krab

16 oz cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise (use the real stuff!)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

Zest of 1 small lemon

Roughly chop cooled shrimp.

Drain crab meat.

In a mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy.

Add mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, green onions, garlic & lemon zest. Mix on low till blended, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Add shrimp & crab to the bowl and combine well with a spatula.

Chill in a covered bowl for 3 hours.

Taste for seasoning. This is the time to adjust your salt! The shrimp being cooked in adequately seasoned water will add a lot of flavor to the dip after it has had a few hours to permeate. Like most dips, it is best the next day.

This dip can be served cold with crackers or corn chips.

It can also be warmed in a casserole dish (325 degrees till bubbly) or slow cooker (low setting to prevent scorching of the cream cheese). Serve with corn chips, melba toast or dark bread toast points.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

My chocolate chip cheeseball is one of the most popular treats around the Emporium. It seems to disappear almost as if by magic. Of course, magic has a name; I call him husband!

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla until creamy.
Slowly add brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon & confectioner sugar until blended.
Stir in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Place mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and form a ball.
Refrigerate a few hours until firm.
Roll cheeseball in the remaining 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with graham crackers.

So it begins...

Welcome to The Enchanted Emporium! Is there anything we can help you find today? A bit of inspiration? A recipe, perhaps. Then there is the always popular chuckle-inducing-nuttiness our family creates so {ahem} frequently. Book discussions and knitting grumbles are likely to be found in the freebie bin by the door. We're still setting up, but feel free to browse. There is no telling what can be found on the shelves. Fair warning though, the dust bunnies bite.